I was so close to not buying a particular product, but something changed. That ‘something’ might help to increase your own sales.

For health reasons, one of my friends can no longer drink alcohol. She was never a big drinker anyway, but loved a glass of red or white with dinner. Before visiting her one day, I was at a grocery store about to pick up a bottle of sparkling grape juice, which is now her drink of choice.

However, nearby the sparkling juices I saw a tall, handsome bottle of alcohol-removed wine. It seemed like a nicer gift.

I grabbed the bottle and read the label: “Advanced alcohol extraction technology is used to delicately remove the alcohol, preserving the healthy antioxidants, vitamins and varietal integrity.”

Varietal integrity? Did that refer to the selection of only trustworthy grapes? I wasn’t sure, but it all sounded good, so I was sold!

Until…

I read, “This premium alcohol removed wine contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume.”

Wait, that means I can’t buy it?

I was about to put the bottle back, but then read: “…a level similar to that found in natural fruit juices.”

Oh cool, she drinks fruit juices.

Sold, again!

So, I went from not knowing about this product, to eagerly wanting to buy it, to nearly putting it back, to hugging it close and naming it “Grapey”.

My mind process

The reason I nearly put the wine back was due to a lack of knowledge, the reason I bought it is because of new-found knowledge.

The makers of the wine clearly knew the concerns of customers and reassured appropriately.

Why some people might not buy your product

Had the wine label not educated me about the alcohol contents and its comparison to fruit juice, I may not have purchased it.

So the question is, do you have a common fear related to your product that requires clear and prominent reassurance?

If so, try to provide it, otherwise, people’s assumptions or lack of knowledge may become a barrier to purchase.

Whatever the reassurance, place it in the following relevant places, where appropriate:

• On product packaging
• On your website
• At the point of sale
• In brochures
• On flyers

Increase sales

As the saying goes, knowledge is power. Empower your potential customers with knowledge, it will ensure they make favourable decisions based on correct information, rather than unfavourable decisions based on false assumptions.

What are your thoughts on this article? Do you think providing reassurance to customers is important?